Expand resourcing for legal services in family violence matters

As part of our approach, the Victorian Government is pursuing the expansion of resourcing for Legal Services to implement this recommendation by:

• advocating for consideration of this recommendation at the Council of Australian Governments (COAG)
• arranging for the item to be listed on the National Justice and Policing Senior Officials Group agenda
• developing a paper seeking agreement by jurisdictions to place this matter on the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council agenda
• preparing a paper for the Attorney-General to present at the Law Crime and Community Safety Council meeting

The Government has been progressing this recommendation on a number of fronts:

• In August 2016, the Premier wrote to the Prime Minister, emphasising the need for a strong, coordinated effort through COAG to drive the level of national reform needed to ensure that women and children are kept safe
• In early October 2016, the National Justice and Policing Senior Officials Group endorsed a paper on the resourcing of legal services progressing to the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council
• The Attorney-General presented the paper to the Law, Crime and Community Safety Council on 21 October 2016. Following that meeting, a statement was released: “Attorneys-General noted that the recommendation called for an expansion of resourcing for legal services to address the current under-representation by and over-burdening of duty lawyer services in family violence matters. Attorneys agreed that additional resources for legal services to provide legal assistance (including duty lawyer services) from Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments in family violence matters are required”
• In late October 2016, the Premier also led a delegation of experts from the Victorian family violence sector to attend the COAG Summit on reducing violence against women and children
• Victoria has continued to support family violence legal assistance services, including through the provision of $4.6 million in the 2016-17 Budget

Victorian Government investment of $49.9 million in the 2017-18 Budget will continue and expand family violence legal assistance services across the state. This includes funding for:

• the continuation of family violence legal initiatives which would have otherwise lapsed on 30 June 2017
• additional duty lawyer services to support the roll-out of the Specialist Family Violence Courts at five Magistrates’ Courts across Victoria
• the expansion of family violence duty lawyer services to respond to current and projected demand
• additional grants of legal aid in child protection matters
• additional grants of legal aid in Family Violence Intervention Order proceedings
• the expansion of Victoria Legal Aid’s Legal Help telephone line
• fit-out costs associated with family violence duty lawyer services

As the above actions are complete this recommendation is implemented.

Implemented.